The Xiaomi Mi6 is now available to pre-order - and we'll show you how to do so in the UK. Read the latest news on the Xiaomi Mi6 specs, features, price and UK launch date.

Everything you need to know about Xiaomi's next flagship Android phone, the Mi6

On Wednesday 19 April 2017 at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium Xiaomi officially unveiled the Mi6. Significantly cheaper than the UK competition, Chinese Xiaomi phones offer amazing specs at a brilliant price. We'll show you how to pre-order the Xiaomi Mi6 in the UK. Also read our full Xiaomi Mi6 review

Headline new features include a high-performance Snapdragon 835 processor, which is paired with 6GB of RAM and either 64- or 128GB of storage, plus 'four-sided 3D glass' and a dual camera.

You'll also find dual speakers, a 3,350mAh battery that will last all day, an under-glass fingerprint sensor and a newly splash-proof body with sealed SIM tray.

As we saw with the Mi Mix last year, a ceramic model with 18k gold detailing is also available. Also see: Best Chinese phones 2017

One of the things missing from the new Xiaomi flagship, though, is the 3.5mm headphone jack. The company has told Android Central that it made this decision (which could upset several fans) to allow room for a larger battery.

"Smartphones are highly-integrated products and internal space is precious. By removing the headphone jack, we can save room for other components such as a bigger battery. Audio through USB Type-C is becoming more common, and will continue to provide excellent sound quality," it said.

When is the Xiaomi Mi6 release date?

Xiaomi Mi6 release date: 19 April 2017, shipping from 17 June 2017

Xiaomi announced the Mi6 in China on 19 April 2017. There is no official UK release date for the Xiaomi Mi 6 because it will not be officially sold here. As always, however, you'll be able to purchase it from Chinese importers such as GearBest and Geekbuying, but at a slightly inflated price.

GearBest will be shipping the Mi6 from 17 June, and you can see more information about pricing below.

How much will the Xiaomi Mi6 cost in the UK?

There are three versions of the Xiaomi Mi6, and all three come with 6GB of RAM. You can opt to buy the phone with either 64- or 128GB of storage, and there is also a ceramic model with 18k gold detailing. No Plus model has been announced at the present time.

As we noted above, what you pay through Chinese importers such as GearBest will not be a straight conversion from RMB to Sterling. However, the price is still competitive when compared to similar-spec handsets officially sold in the UK.

There are some risks you take when purchasing a phone from China, not least that you may be asked to pay import duty when they arrive in the UK (calculated at 20 percent of the value on the shipping paperwork, plus an admin fee of around £11). You can find more details on the pros and cons here.

What does the Xiaomi Mi6 look like?

The Xiaomi Mi6 announced this week is very similar in design to the smartphone we saw many months ago in leaked images. Here are some official shots of the new phone.

From the images it's quite easy to make out the new dual-camera setup at the rear, which lies flush against the case, as well as the front under-glass fingerprint scanner - it's the same approach it took with the Xiaomi Mi5s.

However, less obvious perhaps is the four-sided glass. In essence, this means it is curved not only on the edges but on the corners, but is probably best explained with this slide from Xiaomi's presentation.

The overall design is clean and simple with a mirror finish. A tough, also-glossy stainless steel frame is visible from the edges.

Though it is not fully waterproof, the Mi6 can withstand splashes, and the SIM tray has also been sealed to stop water getting in.

The Mi6 is available in black, silver and blue, plus there's the ceramic version shown below.

What are the Xiaomi Mi6 specifications and features?

Many of the rumoured specifications for the Xiaomi Mi6 turned out to be true, including the Snapdragon 835 processor and 12Mp dual-camera. Here's a look at exactly what you get inside.

Model

Xiaomi Mi6 64GB

Xiaomi Mi6 128GB/Ceramic

Operating system

MIUI 8.0 (Android 6.0)

MIUI 8.0 (Android 6.0)

Screen

5.15in full-HD (1920x1080), four-sided curved glass

5.15in full-HD (1920x1080), four-sided curved glass

Processor

2.45GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 quad-core

2.45GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 quad-core

Graphics

Adreno 540

Adreno 540

RAM

6GB LPDDR4

6GB LPDDR4

Storage

64GB

128GB

MicroSD support

No

No

Fingerprint scanner

Yes, under-glass

Yes, under-glass

Audio

Dual speakers, USB-C audio

Dual speakers, USB-C audio

Wi-Fi

2x2 dual-band

2x2 dual-band

Waterproof

Splashproof

Splashproof

Rear camera

12Mp dual-camera, 2x optical zoom, 4-axis OIS

12Mp dual-camera, 2x optical zoom, 4-axis OIS

Front camera

8Mp

8Mp

Battery

3,350mAh non-removable

3,350mAh non-removable

SIM cards

Dual Nano-SIM

Dual Nano-SIM

4G connectivity

FDD-LTE B1/B3/B5/B7/B8, TD-LTE B38/B39/B40/41

FDD-LTE B1/B3/B5/B7/B8, TD-LTE B38/B39/B40/41

Dimensions

145.1x70.4x7.5mm

145.1x70.4x7.5mm

Weight

168g

168g

The Snapdragon 835 is a 10nm chip built by Qualcomm and Samsung, which improves on the company’s previous 14nm chips with increases of up to 30 percent in efficiency, 27 percent in performance and 40 percent in power consumption. It runs at a clock speed of up to 2.45GHz with a big.LITTLE architecture, which means four of the eight cores run at a lower 1.8GHz for efficiency.

This chip also supports from Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0, which can offer five hours of battery life from a five-minute charge. Xiaomi says you should get a full day's life from the Mi6. Rated at 3,350mAh the battery is high-capacity, but it doesn't support wireless charging.

The display might not be as high in resolution as some UK flagships, but it has a lot to offer. Its 5.15in dimensions mean the Xiaomi is easy to manage in a single hand. It's also well specified with 1- to 600 nits brightness and a Sunlight Display, strong contrast and 4096 smart backlight adjustment levels.

As expected, a dual camera is found at the rear with one 12Mp wide-angle lens and another 12Mp telephoto camera. The Mi6 supports a 10x digital zoom, 2x optical zoom and four-axis OIS.